President Muhammadu Buhari directed the exclusion of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo from the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
The president also directed that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, be left out of the list of campaign council. A spokesperson of council, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
The list of the 422-member council was unveiled in Abuja on Friday night by its secretary, James Faleke. Mr Keyamo, who is also the minister of state for labour and employment, said the president requested that they be exempted to enable them concentrate on governance.
It was reported the exclusion of Mr Osinbajo, who lost the APC presidential primary to Bola Tinubu, from the campaign list. The vice president was a political ally of Mr Tinubu. He had served the latter as attorney general and commissioner for justice when he was Lagos State governor.
Mr Tinubu is widely believed to have nominated Mr Osinbajo as the APC vice presidential candidate in 2015. “… Mr. President has SPECIFICALLY directed that the Vice-President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha should be left out of the Campaign Council to concentrate on the governance of the country and administration of Government,” Mr Keyamo said.
“As a responsible Party and Government, all the key functionaries of government cannot abandon their positions for electioneering campaigns.”
Read the full statement
Our attention has been drawn to some stories making the rounds that there may be something amiss within the family of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the name of our own revered and respected Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, is not included in the list of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
Nothing can be farther from the facts. For the avoidance of doubt, President Muhammad Buhari, GCFR, is the Chairman of the Campaign Council.
As a result, Mr. President has SPECIFICALLY directed that the Vice-President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha should be left out of the Campaign Council to concentrate on the governance of the country and administration of Government.
As a responsible Party and Government, all the key functionaries of government cannot abandon their positions for electioneering campaigns. The APC has the mandate of the Nigerian people to administer the country on their behalf at least till May, 29, 2023, and this we intend to do with all sense of responsibility.
We will not toe the path of those who governed the country in an irresponsible manner before us and our Party is not in total disarray like those who wish to rescue the country, but cannot simply manage their own internal affairs.